Troubled High School Narrows Courses

Biology and art class, and nearly every other subject, could be left
behind for now for hundreds of 9th and 10th graders at one California
high school.

Educators there are readying a heavy dose of English and mathematics
classes for the struggling students in a last-ditch bid to help the
school meet state and federal accountability standards.

Under a state plan to turn around James Lick High School, a
persistently failing school in San Jose, low-performing students in
those grades will be put in intensive skills classes, leaving some of
them little time to pursue science, social studies, physical education,
and other core subjects. Still, students will have to take required
state tests in science and social studies, even if they didn’t
take any classes in those subjects.

The math and English strategy, prescribed by a state intervention
team, is similar to that being implemented in about two dozen
California high schools that have failed to meet achievement goals for
several consecutive years.

While elementary schools around the country have begun devoting much
of the school day to the two critical subjects in response to
requirements under state accountability programs and the federal No
Child Left Behind Act, some observers believe the trend is spreading
into the upper grades. As high schools try to overcome students’
basic-skills deficiencies and language difficulties, and help the least
prepared pass state achievement and graduation tests, some are focusing
more intensively on reading and math.

"While it might seem Draconian in terms of [students’] access
to other parts of the curriculum, they need these interventions to get
up to grade level sufficiently enough to pass the high school exit exam
and receive a diploma," said Wendy Harris, an assistant superintendent
in the California education department.

Will It Work?

At the 1,100-student James Lick High School, officials estimate that
more than half of 9th and 10th graders next year will be unable to
tackle grade-level work in math and English, based on state test
results. Those students—about a third of whom are considered
English-language learners and a majority of whom are from minority
groups—will be required to take two to three courses in the
subjects they are failing. For the students struggling in both
subjects, that could add up to six classes a day, focusing primarily on
basic skills. The school expects to add a 7th period for those students
to allow them to choose a physical education class or an elective in
another subject.

Local and state officials say drastic measures are needed to
accelerate achievement for those students. In addition to the
curriculum changes, the district will require some teachers to take 80
hours of additional professional development in the subjects, and math
and literacy coaches will provide instructional support throughout the
school year.

"If we don’t get them to read and write and be able to do
math, what kind of options do they really have?" said Linda Aceves, the
director of school assistance services for the Santa Clara County,
Calif., office of education, which is overseeing the intervention plan
at James Lick.

Experts disagree over the potential benefits of such intervention
efforts.

"I don’t know of any studies that demonstrate that this is an
effective approach," said Cynthia L. Greenleaf, the associate director
for the Strategic Literacy Initiative at WestEd, a federally financed
research center in San Francisco. Ms. Greenleaf argues that research
suggests that even low-performing students benefit from a full,
rigorous curriculum.

"What I worry about," she said, "is that these intervention
strategies will preclude students from building the knowledge they need
and from having access to the rich critical-thinking-oriented
curriculum they need to advance."

Graduation Requirements

For James Lick administrators and teachers, however, the measure is
seen as necessary to move large numbers of students closer to grade
level.

"Yes, this is going to be a bitter pill to swallow," said Barry
Goldsmith, who has taught history and social studies at the school for
27 years. "But these kids can’t get to the content until we can
get the literacy problems under control."

William J. Rice, part of a team of three principals assigned to the
school this past January, questions whether students reading one or two
levels below the norm for their grade need such remedial instruction,
but he supports the plan overall.

"After three years of accepting money from the state to improve
students’ underperformance on the [state] test, this high school
did not improve," said Mr. Rice. "The last four years have been
horrific at this school [in student achievement], but now we can see
some hope."

The school’s very survival could depend on its progress. Some
400 students have left over the past year or so under the provision in
the No Child Left Behind Act that allows those at underperforming
schools to transfer. Officials hope the school’s reputation as a
magnet for broadcasting and journalism, and its Advanced Placement and
honors programs, will help hold enrollment steady while they try to
quickly bring low-performing students up to grade level.

Students identified for the intervention program can also attend
summer school for another chance to prove they can manage a more
traditional course load, Mr. Rice said.

How fast they get up to speed with their peers could determine when
and whether they graduate. To qualify for a diploma, the state requires
students to take three years of English and two years of math,
including Algebra 1, but also three years of social science, two years
of science, two years of physical education, and one year of foreign
language or the arts.

Some of those classes can motivate students struggling with more
complex coursework. Keeping students engaged in school, particularly
those teenagers spending most of their time in English and math, will
be a challenge, Mr. Rice acknowledged.

"The onus is going to be on the teachers to motivate students,
engage them with good courses," he said. "But the kids are going to
have to understand they have a new sense of purpose with school."

Vol. 23, Issue 40, Pages 1, 24

Published in Print: June 16, 2004, as Troubled High School Narrows Courses

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